On 10 February, internationally acclaimed Armenian-American conductor and pianist Constantine Orbelyan, was reinstated as the director of Armenia’s national opera theater after winning a court battle against the government, reported the Armenian Radio Free Europe. Armenia's Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the Yerevan court that Orbelyan’s sacking in March 2019 was null and void.
Speaking to journalists, Orbelyan said the decision meant that he can again perform the duties of director general. He cautioned, though, that his three-year contract signed with the former Armenian government expires in August and that he does not know yet whether the current authorities would extend it.
Orbelyan was controversially sacked by the Armenian government from his position on 26 March 2019. Five days after his controversial sacking, a large number of Armenian actors gathered in front of the main government building to express their dissatisfaction with the government's decision. The Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan defended the legality of the dismissal by referring to a report by the Ministry of Finance of Armenia on financial irregularities in theater management in 2017 and Orbelian's frequent trips abroad at state expenses (Caucasus Watch reported).
